Art stolen by Nazis is returned to Nick Florescu's family

The three returned masterpieces include "Portrait of a Woman," left, "Mountain Landscape" and "Madonna and Child." They are shown at the Culture Ministry in Paris on Tuesday. "Madonna and Child" belongs to a Jewish Romanian banker who is the great-grandfather of Houston's Nick Florescu.

Photo By Gary Fountain/For the Chronicle

Nick Florescu, who traveled to France to collect a painting that belonged to his family, happens to be the husband of KPRC Local 2 anchor Dominique Sachse, and the couple are often spotted out and about at Houston social events.

Photo By Michel Euler/AP

France’s culture minister Aurelie Filipetti, arrives at a ceremony at the Culture Ministry in Paris, Tuesday, March 11, 2014, to return three paintings taken from their owners during World War II, background. The restitution is part of France's ongoing effort to return hundreds of looted artworks that Jewish owners lost during the war that still hang in the Louvre and other museums.

Photo By Dave Rossman/Freelance

Nick Florescu and Dominique Sachse

Photo By Dave Rossman/For the Houston Chronicle

Nick Florescu and Dominique Sachse Florescu walk the runway at a fundraiser for Deck My Room at Tootsies on Feb. 12.

PARIS — France on Tuesday returned three paintings stolen by the Nazis during World War II to their rightful owners.

In an official ceremony, Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti returned the works to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original owners who are now dead — calling it a "gesture toward justice."

They include "Madonna and Child," by 14th century master Lippo Memmi and "Portrait of a Woman," an 18th century canvas by an unknown artist.

The Memmi masterpiece, painted on wood, was looted in 1944 from a Romanian banker, Richard Soepkez, who lived in the French Riviera city of Cannes.

It was returned to his great-grandson Nick Florescu, who traveled to France for the ceremony from his hometown of Houston.

"I mean think about all these years. It was not even in the cards but the French government was very helpful in finding this and we owe a great gratitude to them," he added, saying he will now travel to Antibes, where his gravely ill 89-year-old father still resides, to tell him the news.

The third painting, "Mountain Landscape" by Flemish artist Joos de Momper (1564-1635), was destined for display in the art gallery Adolf Hitler wanted to build in his hometown of Linz, Austria.

This restitution now brings the number of looted paintings returned by France to their rightful owners to 10 in less than a year — part of an ongoing effort to return hundreds of looted artworks Jewish owners lost during the war.

At the end of the war, with Hitler dead and European cities rebuilding, artworks were left "unclaimed" and many thousands that were thought to have been French-owned ended up in the country's top museums, including the Louvre.

Many of the 100,000 possessions looted, stolen or appropriated between 1940 and 1944 in France have been returned to Jewish families, but France says some 2,000 artworks still lie in state institutions.